Camping Prep.

Tomorrow we leave for our big camping weekend! All of the guys that are going have a softball game Friday night. We're planning on heading up to the campground, setting up camp, and then heading to the game. For us, everything basically has to be packed and prepared tonight because we're taking Luke's truck and he won't have time to come home after work tomorrow.

So today I'm panicking a little. Truth be told, I wrote this post last night to help me organize my thoughts and plan. Because all day today is devoted to shopping, packing, cooking, and preparing. It's a lot of work getting everything ready, but that's half the fun!

Some things I'm looking forward to: reading and relaxing while everyone fishes, s'mores, hot dogs, jiffy pop, canoeing, swimming in the lake, taking walks, campin' potatoes, playing cards and games like Apples to Apples, laughing by the campfire, sleeping in, eating a big breakfast Saturday morning, Using our tent for the first time, being immersed in God's creation, bonding, being without technology, indoor plumbing (yeah, we're not totally roughin' it), and much more.

Each couple is in charge of a meal, and our meal is dinner on Saturday night. Last night we (meaning I) finally decided on a menu:
Marinated chicken breasts
Corn on the cob
Campin' potatoes
Watermelon
Cookies or Brownies

This will be my first experience cooking over a fire. I've never grilled a thing in my life. That's where my hubby comes in, so hopefully he'll help a lot!

You may be wondering what campin' potatoes are. Have you ever seen an Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer from Pampered Chef? Here's a picture for you:See what it's doing to that apple? Well we use it to do that same thing to a potato. Then we take the thin, curly strips and throw them in a deep fryer. The end result is so mouth-wateringly delicious. We also call them curly fries, but they're so much better than normal curly fries! I'll be sure to take pictures of them.

I'm very excited for Friday! But now let's take a look at the seemingly endless list of things that I still have to do before then, because I need to make a to-do list for myself:

1. Do all laundry (so we have stuff to pack, and because I don't want to come home to loads of laundry when I get home on Sunday!
2. Go shopping for food, coolers, supplies, utensils, etc.
3. Boil 7 or 8 chicken breasts
4. Cut up watermelon
5. Pick up ice
6. Pack all food items in the appropriate containers, bags, or coolers (At least I won't have to do this until right before we leave on Friday).
7. Don't forget cooking/eating/serving/cleaning utensils
8. Bake cookies or brownies
9. Pack suitcases with clothes and personal belongings
10. Charge Phone
11. Charge camera battery
12. Don't forget games, lanterns, flashlight, fishing supplies, etc.
13. Pack up Luke's truck with bags, tent, sleeping bags, pillows, food items that don't need to be kept cold, and any other misc. items.
14. Clean the house so I don't have to come home to a mess on Sunday afternoon (This is one my biggest pet peeves).
15. Do all the dishes
16. Make sure Gabby has a huge bowl of food and water to last her the weekend, and clean out her litter box.
17. Bring coolers on Friday when I ride with someone up to the campsite to set up since Luke isn't coming home from work.
18. Relax and enjoy our first married camping trip. I'm hoping that a lot of memories will be made this weekend with Luke and our friends!

Well, you won't hear back from me until Sunday. Be ready for lots of pictures of our trip! You know I'll take a lot ;-)